What is Shelf Life of Makeup?

 

 

How long can you keep lipstick, eyeshadow and foundation?

Wondering about the shelf life of your pile of makeup?

Every woman we know has a pile of makeup in her drawer that she "sometimes" uses. Translation: Never uses, but keeps just in case she finally learns how to properly apply blue eyeshadow.

Beauty products do have a shelf life, however, and chances are that blue eyeshadow with the glimmery bits that you bought a couple years ago (for Halloween?) has long expired. Here's a quick guide on the shelf lives of typical beauty products. I've listed them in alphabetical order. Oh, and just one quick little "PS": Please keep in mind that these are estimates, no matter what anyone tells you, it's unlikely you'll go blind from using 2-year-old mascara.

• Concealer Up to 12 months.
  
• Powder 2 years.
  
• Cream & gel cleansers 1 year.
  
• Pencil eye liner Should be sharpened regularly. Will last up to 3 years.
  
• Eyeshadow Will also last up to 3 years. Extra tip: A dark eyeshadow can double as eyeliner, in fact, most makeup artists swear by eyeshadow used as eyeliner. You'll need a super-flat eyeliner brush for this (Sephora, MAC and Aveda have great brushes). Get the brush a little damp and dab in dark eyeshadow (black, brown or deep jewel-tones work great). Wiggle the brush into your lash line focusing on the space between your lashes, then sweep the color just above your lash line.
  
• Brushes Wash every couple of weeks (depends on usage) in baby shampoo or mild detergent.
  
• Sponges Wash weekly and discard monthly.
  
• Foundation Check the ingredients: A water-based foundation will last up to 12 months, oil-based will last up to 18 months. You may find you need two different shades of foundation each year: One for summer when your skin is naturally darker and one for winter when you're lighter. Extra tip: If your water-based foundation dries out before it's expiration date, simply add a few drops of alcohol-free toner and shake to mix it in. No need to do this to oil-based foundations. Because they contain oil, they will tend to separate. You have to shake anyway
• 
  
• Lip liner Up to 3 years.
  
• Lipstick Some artists say 1-2 years. Others say up to 4 years. What everyone agrees on is that if it smells rancid, throw it out, it's spoiled. Extra tip: If you store lipstick in the refrigerator, it will last longer. Bonus tip: Want your lipstick to last longer during the day? Shade in lips with lip liner before applying lipstick.
  
• Mascara This product expires the fastest: Throw out after 4 months. Extra tip: If you don't want your mascara to expire faster than its fresh date, don't pump the wand in and out -- you're only exposing the product to drying air.
  
• Nail Polish Up to 12 months, depending on the quality.